ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department conducts searches in Mumbai and other regions
The Income Tax Department conducted a search and seizure operation at various premises of a prominent actor in Mumbai and also a Lucknow based group of industries engaged in infrastructure development. Total 28 premises spread over Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, and Gurgaon have been covered in the search operation.
During the course of search at the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidences pertaining to tax evasion have been found. The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities. Investigations so far have revealed use of twenty such entries, the providers of which,on examination, have accepted on oath to have given bogus accommodation entries. They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax. It has also been revealed that these bogus loans have been used for making investments and acquiring properties. The total amount of tax evaded unearthed so far, amounts to more than Rs. 20 crore.
The Charity Foundation incorporated by the actor on 21st July, 2020 has collected donations to the tune of Rs 18.94 crore from 01.04.2021 till date, out of which it has spent around Rs. 1.9 crore towards various relief work and the balance of Rs. 17 crore has been found lying unutilized in the bank account of the Foundation till date. It is seen that funds to the tune of Rs. 2.1 crore have also been raised by the Charity Foundation from overseas donors on a crowd funding platform in violation of FCRA regulations.
The simultaneous search operations carried out at various premises of an Infrastructure group in Lucknow in which the said actor has entered into a joint venture real estate project and invested substantial funds, have resulted in unearthing of incriminating evidences pertaining to tax evasion and irregularities in the books of account.
The search has revealed that the said Group is involved in bogus billing of subcontracting expenses and siphoning off of funds. Evidences of such bogus contracts found so far are to the tune of over Rs. 65 crore. Evidence of unaccounted cash expenses, unaccounted sale of scrap and digital data evidencing unaccounted cash transactions has also been found. Further, it has been unearthed that the said Infrastructure Group/company has entered into dubious circular transaction to the tune of Rs. 175 crore with an infrastructure company based in Jaipur. Further investigations are being carried out to establish the full extent of tax evasion.
Cash of Rs 1.8 crore has been seized during the course of the search and 11 Lockers have been placed under prohibitory order.
The search operation is still continuing and further investigations are in progress.
Ministry of Finance
CGST Bhiwandi Commissionerate arrests two persons for availing and passing on fake ITC on bogus invoices of Rs. 55 crore
Officers of CGST Bhiwandi Commissionerate in Mumbai Zone have busted two separate fake GST invoice rackets, which was used to avail and pass on fake Input Tax Credit  of around Rs. 23 crore on bogus invoices of Rs 55 crore. Two persons, proprietors of M/s M. M. Buildcon / Lambodar Buildcon and M/s. Vishwakarma Enterprises, have been arrested on 18.08.22 under CGST Act.
Acting on a specific input, the anti-evasion wing of CGST Bhiwandi Commissionerate initiated an investigation against these firm. During the investigation both the firms found to be non-existing/ fake. In the statements, the proprietors admitted to the fraud and tax evasion. Further, Input Tax Credit  to the tune of Rs. 23 crore is availed and passed on the basis of fake invoices issued by non- existent/ fake/non- genuine firms/dummy firms.
Based on material evidence gathered during the investigation, the proprietors of both firms were arrested on 18.08.2022 under Section 69 of CGST Act, 2017 for contravention of Section 132 of the CGST Act, 2017.
This case is a part of the special drive launched by the CGST Mumbai Zone against the tax fraudsters and fake ITC networks. These are 15th and 16th arrest by CGST Bhiwandi Commissionerate in last one year.
CGST officers are using data analysis and network analysis tools to identify and trace the potential fraudsters. CGST officers will intensify this drive against tax evaders in the coming days.
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas
International Yoga Day celebrated by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas at Red Fort, Delhi
Shri Hardeep S. Puri along with more than twelve thousand Yoga enthusiasts took part in the event
Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Government of India today celebrated International Day of Yoga  2022 with ‘Yoga for Humanity’ as the theme. The Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep S. Puri led the IDY celebration by practicing Common Yoga Protocol  involving more than twelve thousand Yoga enthusiasts at historic red Fort in Delhi.
Addressing the event, the Minister highlighted the benefits of Yoga for mind, body and soul in everyone’s life. Shri Puri said that nation is grateful to the Prime Minister for making this ancient Indian practice, an Internationally recognised celebration through International Yoga Day. He said that Yoga is an Indian tradition known to us for over 5000 years. It has now become popular the world over, and today innumerable people in the world are taking part in the Yoga events. He said that Yoga is good not only for body and mind, but also is known for its healing powers. Besides health and general well-being, yoga also helps in spiritual awakening. Shri Puri said that this year being Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the celebrations are being done on a large scale, particularly at 75 iconic sites, and he feels honoured to be part of it at historic Red Fort in the national capital.
In today’s programme at Red Fort, Delhi, besides the officials of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, participants from Patanjali Yogpeeth took part in large number. Acharya Bal Krishan from Patanjali Yogpeeth was also present on stage with the Minister. Approximately 12,000 yoga enthusiasts took part in the event.
Ministry of Education
Statement by Prof.  Bimal N. Patel on the First Report of the Special Rapporteur
Prof.  Bimal N. Patel, Vice Chancellor of Rashtriya Raksha University, an elected Member of UN’s International Law Commission for a five years tenure ; in his first statement, during the plenary session on ‘Settlement of International Disputes to which International Organizations are Parties’ at the 74th session of the Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, pointed out the convergence between the theme of India’s G-20 Presidency Vasudhev Kutumbkam, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and the ongoing work and mandate of the Commission.
Prof Patel, while acknowledging the present commission for setting a precedent as never before by electing 81% new members from Asia and Africa, has urged the commission to ensure fair and equitable representation to ensure legitimacy, authority and credibility of its works and influence. He has highlighted the underrepresentation of Asia, home to 59.76% of world’s total population, largest and oldest civilizations and legal systems. Prof Patel has called on the commission to devise solutions towards mitigating deficits including gender, Asian - African and developing countries representation. He has also called for Hindi, the third most spoken language in the world, the language of expression of the world’s 5th largest economy and an ancient civilization and already a universal language as per the yardsticks of UN official languages to be given its due recognition in the Commission.
Prof Patel has reiterated that the most fundamental deficiencies of governance including the codification and progressive development of international law needs to be immediately addressed. He has suggested that judicial and quasi-judicial, independent third-party dispute settlement methods could be studied in more detail, in addition to the methods of negotiation, good offices, conciliation and mediation which are generally sought by the forums for peaceful settlement of disputes. Prof Patel has opined that the scope of these fora and their appropriateness need to be assessed in the context of judicial independence, decisional independence, personal independence of judges, impartiality, fairness, equal access, equality of arms, delay, effectiveness of remedy, appeal mechanism etc. He has also recommended that, amidst a spurt in International Organisations over the last 30 years in particular in the Asia and Pacific regions, the study and analysis of their state, practice, precedent and doctrines emerging from these institutions will ensure a desired and essential representative outcome of the work of the Rapporteur and the Commission.
YP/GP/JD
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Ministry of Finance
ADB, India sign $132.8 million loan to strengthen Meghalaya’s power distribution Sector
The Asian Development Bank  and the Government of India today signed a $132.8 million loan to strengthen and modernize the distribution network and improve the quality of power supplied to households, industries, and businesses in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya.
The signatories to the Meghalaya Power Distribution Sector Improvement Project were Dr. C. S. Mohapatra, Additional Secretary , Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance who signed for the Government of India, and Mr. Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission who signed for ADB.
After signing the loan agreement, Dr Mohapatra stated that the project supports the state government’s "24x7 Power for All" initiative and will help the state reduce its high technical and commercial losses through network strengthening, metering and billing efficiency improvements.
“Technological Improvements to the distribution network adapted to extreme weather, introduction of smart meters and online meter reading, billing, and collection systems will help improve operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of the state’s distribution system,” said Mr. Konishi.
Though Meghalaya has achieved 100% electrification, remote rural areas in the state suffer from frequent power interruptions due to overloaded distribution networks and substations that use outdated technology, resulting in high aggregate technical and commercial  losses. The Government of India and the state government of Meghalaya embarked on a joint 24x7 Power for All Meghalaya initiative to provide uninterrupted, quality, reliable, and affordable power supply to all electricity consumers.
The project will construct 23 substations; renovate and modernize 45 substations, including the provision of control room equipment and protection systems; install and upgrade 2,214 kilometers of distribution lines and associated facilities covering three out of the six circles in the state. Installation of smart meters will benefit about 180,000 households. The loan is proposed to be supplemented by a $2 million grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction that will finance renewable energy mini-grids for improving power quality and supporting income generation activities, especially for women and other socially disadvantaged groups in three villages and three schools.
The project will help develop a distribution sector road map and a financial road map for the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited . These road maps will strengthen the capacity of MePDCL to operate and manage the distribution networks.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
Election Commission
Biennial Election to the Karnataka Legislative Council by the members of Legislative Assembly  – reg.
The term of office of 07 members of Karnataka Legislative Council elected by the Members of Legislative Assembly  is going to expire on 14.06.2022. The details are as under:-
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S. No
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Name of Member
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Date of Retirement
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1.
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Laxman Sangappa Savadi
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14.06.2022
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2.
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Ramappa Timmapur
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3.
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Allum Veerabhadrappa
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4.
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H.M. Ramesha Gowda
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5.
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Veena Achaiah S.
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6.
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Narayana Swamy K.V.
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7.
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Lahar Singh Siroya
2. The Commission has decided to conduct above mentioned biennial election to the Karnataka Legislative Council by members of Legislative Assembly in accordance with the following programme:-
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S. No.
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Events
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Dates
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-
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Issue of Notification
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17th May, 2022 
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-
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Last Date of making nominations
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24th May, 2022 
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-
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Scrutiny of nominations
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25th May, 2022 
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-
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Last date for withdrawal of candidatures
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27th May, 2022 
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-
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Date of Poll
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03rd June, 2022 
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-
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Hours of Poll
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09:00 am - 04:00 pm
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-
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Counting of Votes
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03rd June, 2022  at 05:00 pm
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-
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Date before which election shall be completed
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07th June, 2022 
3. Broad Guidelines of Covid-19 issued by ECI as contained in para 06 of Press Note, dated 02.05.2022, available at link https://eci.gov.in/files/file/14151-schedule-for-bye-election-in-3-assembly-constituencies-of-odisha-kerala-and-uttarakhand%E2%80%93-reg/ to be followed, wherever applicable, during entire election process by all persons.
4. The Chief Secretary, Karnataka is being directed to depute a senior officer from the State to ensure that the extant instructions regarding COVID-19 containment measures are complied with while making arrangements for conducting the election.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at MSP from farmers as per existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal with purchase of over 541.11 LMTs of paddy up to 11.01.2021.This is an increase of 26.07 % against the last year corresponding purchase of 429.20 LMT. Out of the total purchase of 541.11 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 LMT which is 37.47 % of total procurement.
About 72.46 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 102161.76 Crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 51.66 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. Also, sanction for procurement of 2.50 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Rabi Marketing Season 2020-2021 for the States of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, was given. For other States/UTs, approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto 11.01.2021, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 288457.68 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs.1543.27 Crores benefitting 153439 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu upto 11.01.2021as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 11.01.2021 a quantity of 8341536 cotton bales valuing Rs.24399.63 Crore has been procured benefitting 1617979 farmers.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
GeM signs MOU with Union Bank of India
Government e-Marketplace  signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with Union Bank of India  in New Delhi on October 10, 2019. Through this partnership, UBI will be able to offer an array of services including transfer of funds through GeM Pool Accounts , advising of Performance Bank Guarantees  and Earnest Money Deposit  to the registered users on the GeM portal. The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and transparent payment system on the portal and will create an efficient procurement system for government entities.
The MOU was signed by S. Suresh Kumar, Addl. CEO, GeM and S. K. Mohapatra, Field General Manager, Delhi, UBI in the presence of Talleen Kumar, CEO, GeM and Ram Kumar Jaglan, Head, Government Business Department, UBI.
Online integration for payments and various banking services is one of the priorities for GeM. GeM has already signed MoU with 14 Public Sector and private banks to enable this.
GeM is also working with others banks, TReDs, and SIDBI to provide invoice financing and Bill Discounting to the MSMEs registered on GeM. This will help MSMEs access easy credit and do better business with Government Departments.
GeM is an initiative of the Government of India offering one stop platform facilitating online procurement of common use goods and services required by various government departments, organisations, Public Sector Units. GeM provides tools for Direct Purchase, bidding and reverse auction in a transparent manner for government departments.
Election Commission
Election Commission of India submits list of newly elected members to the 17th Lok Sabha to the Hon'ble President of India
Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Sunil Aroraalong with Election Commissioners Shri Ashok Lavasa and Shri Sushil Chandra, called on the Hon’ble President of India at 1230 hrs today .A copy of the Notification issued by the Election Commission of India in terms of Section 73 of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, containing the names of Members elected to the House of the People – following General Elections to the 17thLok Sabha – was submitted by them to the Hon’ble President.
Afterwards, all the three Election Commissioners and senior officials of the Election Commission of India went Rajghat to seek blessings of the Father of the Nation after the conclusion of the elections.
AC
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Ministry of Rural Development
Entrepreneurship Programmes in Rural India
Ministry of Rural Development  is implementing Rural Self Employment Training Institute  scheme as a sub-scheme of National Rural Livelihood Mission . RSETI is a Bank lead, MoRD funded training institution established by the Sponsor Banks in their lead Districts to impart skill and entrepreneurship development training to rural poor youth free of cost. Any unemployed youth in the age group of 18-45 years having an aptitude to take up self-employment or wage employment and having some basic knowledge in the related field can undergo training at RSETI. While thrust of RSETI training is to promote self-employment of rural poor, some of the trained candidates may also seek regular salaried jobs/wage employment.
Presently, there are 590 RSETIs functioning in 572 districts across the country. The entrepreneurship development programmes  / skill development training courses run by the RSETIs are as per the local demands of Agriculture, its allied activities and Small business, trading, etc.
Under the RSETI scheme 44,42,205 candidates have been trained and 31,54,095 candidates have been settled up to 28.02.2023 since inception.
Hand-holding support is provided to RSETI trained candidates to enable them to commence their own mini-enterprise either with the bank finance or otherwise. These entrepreneurs are also provided space in SARAS mela etc. to showcase and sell their products. The settlement rate of RSETI trained candidates is more than 70%. Once they start earning, it contributes to improvement of living standards of their families in rural areas.
The details of the funds allocated and released under RSETI programme since 2014-15 till 2022-23 are given below:-

|
|
FY
|
|
BE Total
|
|
RE Total
|
|
Release
|
|
2014-15
|
|
5500.00
|
|
3534.00
|
|
3189.00
|
|
2015-16
|
|
4000.00
|
|
5207.00
|
|
5207.00
|
|
2016-17
|
|
10000.00
|
|
10500.00
|
|
10178.93
|
|
2017-18
|
|
10000.00
|
|
6500.00
|
|
5574.87
|
|
2018-19
|
|
10000.00
|
|
6784.59
|
|
6784.59
|
|
2019-20
|
|
10002.00
|
|
6185.06
|
|
6183.96
|
|
2020-21
|
|
10000.00
|
|
11338.62
|
|
11338.43
|
|
2021-22
|
|
15000.00
|
|
9219.54
|
|
9031.03
|
|
2022-23
|
|
25000.00
|
|
23708.00
|
|
11236.38|
|
Total
|
|
122589.00
|
|
82976.81
|
|
68724.19Status as on 28.02.2023.
This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi
Niranjan Jyoti in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Department of Space
Images sent by Chandrayaan-1 indicate possible impact of Earth's atmosphere on Moon
Disclosing this here today, Union Minister of State  Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and MoS Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that ISRO’s maiden mission to the Moon has sent images which show that Moon may be rusting along the poles. The sign of this finding is that even though the surface of the Moon is known to have iron - rich rocks, it is not known for the presence of water and oxygen, which are the two elements needed to interact with iron to create rust, he said.
Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration  say that this could be because the Earth's own atmosphere is lending a helping hand which, in other words, means that the Earth's atmosphere could be protecting the Moon as well. Thus, the Chandrayaan-1 Moon data indicates that the Moon's poles are home to water, this is what the scientists are trying to decipher.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, as for Chandrayaan-3 is concerned, the launch may now take place somewhere in early 2021. Chandrayaan-3 will be a mission repeat of Chandrayaan-2 and will include a Lander and Rover similar to that of Chandrayaan-2, but will not have an orbiter.
Meanwhile, preparations are going on for India’s first ever Human Space Mission Gaganyaan, said Dr Jitendra Singh. The training processes and other procedures are also in place.
Constraints due to Covid pandemic led to some disruptions in the plan for Gaganyaan but efforts are going on to stick to the timeline of around 2022, he said.